Carrera de la Pantera
by wyndnfyr
Summary: Emma and Regina both dream of running through the jungle as large predatory cats. Except Regina wakes up as her dream self. How will she deal? Let's take a journey and find out just how much fun terrorizing the citizens of Storybrooke can be. We will also find out if Panther!Regina likes cardboard boxes.
1. chapter 1

This is my first ever SQ story. I'm not sure that I'll even finish it, but I'll try. I've actually got ideas for where I want this to go. There is no beta so all mistakes are my own. Standard disclaimer applies; I own nothing regarding OUAT I just simply like to take the characters outside to play.

xxx

 **Chapter 1**

What Dreams May Come

xxx

She was running. She had a brief moment of thought that this wasn't Storybrooke, but that thought became buried as she ran. The jungle around her was a cacophony of sounds and colors; there were wide leafed ferns, and vines dangling from the canopy above. She could feel the warm rain that dripped from the high leaves, the soft mulch-like earth beneath her paws and the air that rushed past her face as she all but flew along the bases of giant trees.

She was grace personified. Fluid movements added to her poise and beauty as she lept over a fallen tree with nary a stumble. She was free. Up ahead she could see more light filtering through the trees as it dappled in larger patches along the now sodden ground. Finally, she came to a break in the dense foliage and slowed to a stop as she approached the cliff just beyond the break, her sides heaving and midnight coat gleaming.

Sitting on her haunches along the edge, she looked upon the endless jungle before her. The rain had stopped almost as suddenly as it started and sunlight began to break through the low clouds lighting up the carpet of green before her in interspersed pockets. In the distance, a flock of large billed birds launched themselves into the sky in a sudden flurry.

It was beautiful, this wild home of hers. _Home_. The word rattled around her head and felt wrong but also so very right. Yes, this was her home. She sat there and gazed upon it for a long while. As the sun began to set, she thought she could hear a lone call in the far distance. It was, however, too far to be able to make out. Only a few minutes later, she heard the call again. This time, it was closer and she let loose a predatory, feline smile. She'd been getting wafts of this other being as she ran, and, however fleeting the scent, she recognized it as her mate.

Quickly she stood and looked out over the ledge once more as the last vestiges of sunlight painted the jungle a wild array of golds, yellows and oranges. When the call sounded a third time and decidedly nearer, she was ready. She and her mate would finally meet. With this in mind, she bellowed out a deep call of her own, then sat back and waited.

xxx

Emma woke with a start breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. Glancing at the clock, she noted that it read about half past four. Summer was upon them and the sky was already bright enough to begin lighting her house with a vague twilight.

She could only remember snippets of her dream; bright colors, and a huge flock of what looked like rainbow colored parrots. She had stumbled across them as she was navigating through what she thought might be a jungle. Emma remembered that she wasn't scared even though she had no idea where she was. More and more flashes of her dream came to her and she pulled out a notebook from the stand next to her bed to record all she could remember. There was a sudden downpour of rain and instead of being annoyed by it, she felt rejuvenated. _Alive_ even. It was intoxicating. She began to run. There was no destination, just a sudden desire to express this freedom, this exuberance of being alive. So she ran.

The rain had ended shortly after it began and though it was short lived, it left many puddles that she found herself stomping through. If she'd had the ability to laugh while doing it, she would have done so. After running a fair distance, Emma realized there was a familiar scent on the breeze. Putting her nose to the air, she sniffed. Her mate. She let out a loud call, calling to her. Once again putting her nose to the air, she judged which direction the scent was coming from and set off at a canter.

Emma was writing in her journal furiously at this point, having remembered all of the details. She recalled running through the heavy brush without a care as to what was around her. She had only the desire to find her mate. Stopping to sniff the air again, she let off another call. Her mate was closer, but still not yet close enough. Again, she set off, only this time it was at a dead run. Flying through the trees, she kept her nose to the scent, following it as she wound her way up a steep slope. At the top, Emma paused to catch her breath and let out a final call.

There was an answer this time and it sent shivers down Emma's spine. She trotted through the foliage and came upon the most beautiful sight. The trees had thinned to nothing and the cliff overlooked the jungle she had just run through. The sun had almost fully set leaving only purple and indigo in the night sky. She inhaled the warm tropical air and came to the edge of the cliff where the most beautiful panther she had ever seen lied seemingly in wait.

This was it. Emma had found her. Her mate.

xxx

A/N Let me know what you think!


	2. I Thought I Saw a Pussy Cat

**Chapter 2**

I Thought I Saw a Pussy Cat

xxx

Regina woke up slowly to the sound of birds chattering. Cracking open her eyes, she took note of the time; almost ten in the morning. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so late. _"It must have had something to do with the dream,"_ she thought to herself. It wasn't the first time the former queen had dreamt that. Ever since she was a child she had been dreaming of being a panther running wild through the jungle. The dream was always the same and never varied.

It was with that thought that Regina suddenly frowned. The dream this time had changed. Never before had she sat in wait for her mate. There was never a mate to even speak of. Confused, she scratched her head, but it was halfway through the scratch that she realized she was using her hind leg to do so. Regina froze and finally took stock of herself. Pulling her arms from beneath the pillow she was resting on, she noted with fear that where her arms should have been were instead two powerful forelegs with massive paws covered in silky black fur. She turned her head and saw the rest of her was just the same. A lithe, muscular body and a very long tail all covered in the same shiny black fur. The brightness of the sun outside allowed her enhanced eyes to notice the faint leopard spots down near her belly.

Regina yelped and frantically got to her feet to go look in the mirror across the room only to get tangled in the sheets and promptly fall to the floor with a loud WHUMP.

 _"So much for cats always landing on their feet."_ Regina growled in frustration. Carefully extracting herself from the sheets wrapped around her middle, she padded over to the mirror. She was beautiful and much bigger than she thought she was. Her fur was silky, shiny, and though short, it looked like it would be soft to the touch. Looking closely at herself, the former queen could see that her eyes were mostly green with little golden flecks. She stood in front of the mirror for a long while pacing back and forth and posing in different positions. Regina would never admit that she was vain, but almost everyone who knew her her knew that she was. Most were just smart enough to never make mention of it lest they wanted to add massive scarring to their appearance via fireballs.

A stinging sensation in her groin reminded her that not only had she slept much later than normal, but had also spent quite a long time in front of the mirror. Regina really needed to _pee._ She walked through the door of the ensuite bathroom and was faced with her first real dilemma; she had no way to actually use the toilet.

xxx

She ran. Harsh breaths being forced out through her nose in tandem with each stride as her Nike's pounded along the trail. Her earbuds were blasting something by Halestorm and held in place by a ridiculous looking sweatband. Ruby didn't care. The band not only kept the sweat out of her eyes, but also kept the music in her ears. Everyone knows that earbuds don't fit perfectly.

The wolf didn't often run this particular trail as it led behind the huge and beautiful houses lined along Mifflin Street. They could be a tad intimidating to the waitress. It was as she was running behind a certain house in particular that she very nearly collided with a large black blur as it leapt across the trail and into the bushes along the other side.

Ruby came to a dead stop and peered into the brush. What she saw, and heard, made her jaw drop. It was a large black panther and it was peeing? Not only that but there were contented hums and moans coming from the panther.

 _"Ohmygodyesyesyesfinallyholyshit!"_ Ruby didn't think her eyes could get any wider or her jaw drop farther but that last string of words proved her wrong. She knew that voice.

"Holy shit! _Regina?_ " Ruby exclaimed in a high falsetto.

The panther, who by now was trying to cover up her little bathroom excursion, stilled. The giant cat turned her head to face the interloper. Caught between extreme mortification and anger at being watched, she leapt forward and pounced upon the unsuspecting voyeur. As they fell to the ground, Regina decided to dwell upon the anger. It was easier to channel and fit her personality better, anyhow.

 _"Do you_ mind, _Miss Lucas? I understand that as a wolf, you are by your very nature a pack animal, but that gives you absolutely_ no right to _willingly bear witness to something so personal!"_ By the end of her diatribe, what had started as a low growl, had become much more menacing.

Ruby was very aware of the gigantic paw on her chest pinning her to the ground and even more so of the very lethal looking claws that were just shy of piercing her jugular. "I-I'm sorry, Regina," she stammered. "I wasn't intentionally watching, honest." Ruby tried a disarming smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "I was more surprised at the fact that there was a giant panther running out of your backyard and then even more surprised when I realized it was you."

 _"Yes. Well. If ever you find yourself in a situation like that again, show some decency and turn around at the very least."_ The panther huffed and released Ruby from her pin.

"I'm sorry, Regina. Really." The younger girl looked so embarrassed and her flushed cheeks gave new meaning to her name. "So, if you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

 _"I have no idea. I just so happened to wake up this way,"_ Regina explained. _"I don't think it was anything malicious, though. My house was still locked up tight and the only scent of magic in the air was my own."_ Her eyes narrowed as she appeared to be deep in thought.

"So you somehow magicked yourself into a giant fearsome predator while _asleep?_ " Ruby was trying very hard not to laugh, but it wasn't working. Her grin was too wide and the small snorts gave her away. "That sounds more like something Emma would do." Regina may have been sitting there with a glare aimed in her direction, but the waitress could tell that she was at least a little bit amused

 _"Miss Lucas, if you could keep this a secret for now, I'd appreciate it."_

"Sure thing," she agreed readily. "On one small condition."

 _"And what would that be?"_

"That you call me Ruby. It is my name after all and we've been through too much to keep such distance." Ruby smiled down at her and the panther nodded her agreement.

 _"Very well, M-Ruby."_

"Excellent! I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the reason that we can communicate is because of my inner wolf. Like Snow, I can understand most animals. So with that in mind, you might want to try and keep away from her unless you want the whole town to know about your predicament."

Rather than agree, Regina instead smiled. Well, if one could call it a smile. Ruby shivered at the feral grin adorning the face of the powerful former queen.

"Regina? What are you planning?" the wolf timidly asked.

 _"Oh, nothing, dear. You just gave me some_ wonderful _ideas."_ With that, the mayor started to saunter off but before getting too far, she stopped and turned her head to look at the stricken girl she left behind. _"Please do remember our agreement, Ruby."_

The girl watched Regina walk away until she could no longer see her and with a heavy exhalation, she put her ear buds back in and finished her run. She was going to be late for work and Granny was going to kill her.

xxx

A/N: Thanks for all the follows and favorites! You guys are amazing. I'm sorry that this isn't very long. I'm not a natural writer so it's often difficult for me to just pump out chapters. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
